The latest on Mr-Too-Good-To-Be-True: This morning my car wouldn't start. Normally, I would tell the kids to walk to school, but today was Christmas party day and Princess was wearing high heels and Gothgrrl was dressed like Santa Claus, and they had gifts to carry. So I called the guy I'm seeing and he was here in minutes. He took the kids to school, then took his son to the orthodontist, then brought a car charger and plugged my car in. While he was waiting for the car to charge up, he vacuumed my living room and fired up the carpet shampooer! He told me to go get back on the computer so I can get some work done. See, he knows I have relatives coming from out of town and I'm also chronically behind on my internet work -mainly due to spending time with him.

I thought, hot damn! I'd love to brag on this, but no one would believe me.

Mere moments after I had that thought, the doorbell rang. It was my pastor's wife dropping by to talk about the dinner party they were hosting tonight. Ha!

I was dateless at the dinner party because he's shy about crowds of people he doesn't know. In situations like that, I'm a bit leery of talking about "my boyfriend" because it might come across as a fictional character dreamed up by a desperate old lady. After all, no one there had ever actually seen him. Or had ever seen me in the company of a man.

But tonight was different. "This guy I'm seeing came over today and shampooed my carpet."

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Despite the lack of a tripod and any video skills whatsoever, I felt compelled to document the process of decorating the porch of our new home for our first Christmas here. I shot the footage before Thanksgiving, and finally got around to editing it this morning.

Scientists can extract images directly from the brain. The technology is still rather crude, but may lead to viewing dreams and hallucinations someday.

Web Urbanist has posted so many features on abandoned places, they've compiled a meta-post where you can find all of them. Cities, towns, vehicles, and buildings, they're all here!

Necessary Angels. Lower-caste Indian women trained in health care are the ones who save lives in small villages doctors don't want to work in. (via Metafilter)

The Levitating Lightbulb. A cool demonstration of an implementation of wireless energy transfer, in combination with magnetic levitation.

Over a thousand species have been discovered over the past ten years in the Mekong River area of southeast Asia. They include a bright pink millipede, a miniature deer, and a spider with a 12-inch legspan.

Christmas shopping is different this year. "The thrill of insane bargains and the suggestion that we can rescue our economy by spending money is colliding with the nauseating sensation that we should be saving up for a long, dark winter."

Despite the lack of a tripod and any video skills whatsoever, I felt compelled to document the process of decorating the porch of our new home for our first Christmas here. I shot the footage before Thanksgiving, and finally got around to editing it this morning.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

An inside view of the Iraq War. CNN journalist Michael Ware spent most of the last six years in Iraq, where we was shot at, hunted, blindfolded, and stuffed into the back of cars, marked for death, and kidnapped

Tycho Brahe had an extraordinary brain. He also had a golden nose and a drunken moose.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

December 25th was set as the date for Christmas in the 4th century as an attempt to Christianize midwinter pagan holidays such as Solstice and Saturnalia. Customs such as bringing evergreens inside, and hanging lights are universal responses to winter season. Some of the stranger traditions, however, are remnants of those older pagan holidays

When we moved into our new home in August, we noticed an orange and white cat hanging about. According to the neighbors, he was a stray who roamed from house to house hoping for a snack. The lady across the road called him Crazy Cat, but my daughters decided his name was Milo. Milo soon learned they were soft touches, and he stayed in our yard more than any other.

Princess and Gothgrrl fed him on our back deck most of the time. It didn't take long for other neighborhood cats and dogs to find the food we left for Milo. I found myself chasing away strange animals a bit too much. We tried difference ways of feeding him, and discovered that he ate in the manner of a stray -all of it at once, lest another animal come by and get it. I warned the girls not to put food out unless Milo was around. He was, most of the time.

Milo liked to lay on top of the van. Several times, in good weather when I left the vehicle windows open, I was surprised to find him asleep inside. I started the car and he would leap out the window from the back seat. The first time that happened, it took me a few minutes to recover! Milo began to crawl into my lap any chance he got. When I returned home from errands, Milo would recognize the van blocks away and run to meet me.

Princess visited Milo's alleged original owner and told me the woman had a dozen cats inside! The woman said she put the orange cat out because there were just too many. I didn't voice my opinion on someone who would do that, but Princess understood.

As the weather worsened, we fed him in the basement, which meant leaving the basement door slightly open. He adapted right off. We made him a bed of old towels and he would lay there and purr in his sleep. He also purred while he ate. Later, as the basement got colder, he began sleeping on boxes closer to the furnace. I would occasionally catch a gray cat in the basement as well. My daughter said, "Oh, that's Milo's wife." The gray cat was never welcomed; I have my limits, after all. I was concerned about leaving the basement door ajar. Who knows how cold this winter will be, or how easy the pipes will freeze? I considered installing a cat flap.

Our male cat Biscuit hated Milo with a passion. Biscuit stays inside, except for the time we took him outside for a portrait. He spotted Milo on the porch and went ballistic -that's when he almost tore my arm off. Shortly after, we discovered that Milo was declawed! My opinion of his original owner went downhill. A declawed cat can't climb trees to avoid dogs, can't defend himself in a catfight, and cannot catch mice or fish. They have to be sheltered and protected. I would've taken Milo inside at that point, if it weren't for Biscuit.

Then just last week, Princess went on a field trip with her class and a few parents. One of her friends' father told the story of their last cat, who went outside and never returned. He said he would love to have an indoor cat, but it would have to be declawed and he didn't feel good about doing that. Princess immediately offered Milo. The family accepted even before they met him! They bought a litter box and cat food and came over to get Milo the next day.

Things worked out for everyone. Milo has a good home where he can stay warm inside and be petted by two adults and five children. The family has a declawed cat they don't have to feel guilty about. Since they live only a couple of blocks away, my daughters can visit. And I can shut the basement door. Now there's a happy ending!

Johnson was not born blind, and, although it is not known how he lost his sight, Angeline Johnson provided this account to Samuel Charters: She said when Willie was seven his father beat his stepmother after catching her going out with another man. The stepmother then picked up a handful of lye and threw it, not at Willie's father, but into the face of young Willie.

After two previous posts about great dogs, both heroic and loyal, I keep finding more wonderful dog stories to share. Dogs have an amazing ability to do whatever needs to be done, and will still wag their tails afterward.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Now that the turkey is in the oven, I have time to count my blessings. Oh, this is not the first time, but I'm just now jotting them down to share. 2008 has been a wonderful year.

Miss Cellania is doing well for a small blog. After three years of posting on one topic a day with many links, I switched to a format more in line with other link blogs. As you can see from the graphic, that paid off immediately! Thanks to the several bloggers who advised me to do it (if I tried to name them, I'd forget someone, but Alex gave me the final push). Many thanks to you and everyone who visits, contributes, reads in RSS, links to the site, Diggs, Stumbles, and comments. Special thanks to everyone who clicked on an ad for me!

My greatest blessings are my children. Princess and Gothgrrl are growing up so fast, and I am proud of them. Their grades are only slightly better this year, but I am very happy that they are starting to see how putting some effort into their work pays off. At this point, they are doing their homework (and on time), reading their material before the last minute, and actually studying for tests! And they are progressing in more than just schoolwork.

Last night we had a bit of a party here. When I went to bed, I told them I didn't care how long they stayed up as long as they were out of bed by noon today. This morning, I found they had cleaned the house! Even my desk is tidied up (and now I can't find anything)! It's great to start a busy day like this with a smile.

I bought a new house this year. It's the kind of house I had always dreamed of. Yes, it has its problems, and moving was a pain, yet it is still the nicest home I've ever lived in. This is a gift I will always treasure.

I was worried about what would happen to the old house. The real estate market is the pits. Every other house in my little town has a for sale sign in front. Friends suggested I rent it out, but I was leery -I'd heard too many horror stories. But without any effort on my part, a reliable tenant landed in my lap, so what was a worry has turned out to be another source of income.

Just this week, I was approached by another website for a paid blogging job. I'm not going to say what site it is just now because I haven't posted anything yet. It seems like another blessing out of nowhere.

Scientists reveal that long-lasting romantic love is possible, at least according to brain scans. And all this time we assumed some people were lying to themselves for the sake of the kids.

Mark Johnson traveled the world to record musicians all performing the same song, Stand By Me. The result is entertaining, uplifting, and totally cool.

Saturday night, Space X fired up all nine engines, burned half a million pounds of propellant, and scared the daylights out of the locals. "Space-X shook the T-Bone off the grill hit my dog on the head, he thought I smacked him, he bit my ankle."

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Dos and Don'ts of the James Bond Lifestyle. Master all these things, and the world will buy tickets to your life story.

The Top Ten Arguments that Can't Be Won. So you may as well not bring them up at the family holiday dinner.

A Colombian woman received a transplant of a windpipe grown from her own stem cells. Unlike other transplant recipients, she won't spend her life taking anti-rejection drugs. This historic transplant might never have happened due to overzealous airline security, but the day was saved by a last minute charter from a German surgeon with his own jet.

People who seem to attract good fortune are different from people who don't. They pay attention, seize opportunities, and count their blessings. (via Geek Like Me)

Statistics on hunger in America for 2007 are out, and they don't look good. Don't expect the situation to be any better for 2008 and 2009.

Ten Reasons why Teddy Roosevelt is the Coolest President Ever. Fun stuff culled from what could have been a much longer list.

Astronomers are discovering that water, and life, might exist on all manner of planets where conditions are very different from those on Earth. "It's like science fiction, only better."

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Berry Gordy changed the face of pop music by founding Motown Records, and in the process changed race relations in America. Fifty years later, he tells the real story behind the business.

Which came first, the chicken or the chicken egg? Ardvarchaeology gives us the short answer, but more questions are raised in the comments.

Astronomers have taken pictures of what they believe are planets that revolve around a star other than our sun. If this proves to be so, they are the first such photographs ever.

Carbon-14 formed by atomic weapons testing can be used to date biological specimens, like trees and human beings. You can lie about your age, but your autopsy can find out if you were born in the mid-1950s. (via Metafilter)

Good news for Christmas morning gift opening: some manufacturers are launching new packaging that's easier to open. You won't need to use a saw, blowtorch, or your teeth to get to the product!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Legomaniacs can do more than just build things from Lego bricks! You can display your passion in your home with furnishings made from Lego bricks, home products from the Lego company, and products that have that familiar (if not company-sanctioned) shape.

Monday, November 17, 2008

A new genetic theory suggests that mental illness may be due to struggles between the genes you get from your father and the genes you get from your mother. Kids driving their parents crazy may be simple payback.

Keeping a Promise When a Life Is Near Its End. You might need to get a tissue before reading this.

Humans have taken the natural rhythm of day and night and made it into a very long day. Scientists are only now beginning to study the effects of light pollution.

Don Levy found a suitcase full of photographs ready to be picked up by the garbage service in Watertown, Massachusetts. The photographs show Hiroshima in the period shortly after the US dropped the atomic bomb on the city in 1945.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

If your Christmas list includes someone, a doll collector or not, whose taste runs to the unique, odd, or totally bizarre, I have some wonderful shopping suggestions. This is the world of doll making turned on its head.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Many people have a secret, or not-so-secret roster of famous people they would jump in bed with, given the opportunity, no matter whether they are in a committed relationship or not. Having no relationship, it was easy for me to put together such a list.

How neat to discover a portable hole you can take anywhere! Just be careful how you use it.

The Chestnut Tree. A sweet animation about memories made with Mom. Watch, then call your mother.

Ninja Kittens. Toyota combines two internet obsessions into one car ad. Effective, or just cute?

The Love Stories segment from the film When Harry Met Sally. Anytime you meet someone, you have the potential to make an epic story like these.

For a pointless game, The Game is pretty fun! Warning: not for the competitive.

If The Matrix Ran on Windows XP, how many times would a reboot be necessary to finish the movie?

In the short film Genre, Don Hertzfeldt illustrates many different types of movies, including some he just made up! Horror porn, anyone?